Daria Hodnik Marinković, known as Daria HodMar, is a seasoned musician with extensive experience in the music industry. Her collaborations span some of the most renowned artists from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Daria's musical journey began in her family, where she started playing the piano at the age of seven, participating in children's festivals in Sarajevo and Zagreb. In 1995, she graduated from "Elly Bašić" music high school and subsequently enrolled in the Music Academy in Zagreb, focusing on Musicology. She completed her studies in 1999, earning a degree as a musicologist, music publicist, and professor of music history. During her time at the Academy, she received the prestigious Rector's Award from the University of Zagreb for her work in archiving music items from the Dubrovnik Cathedral.
While studying, Daria began her career in recording studios, providing backing vocals. Her first recorded song was at the Rockoko studio in 1995, marking the start of a fruitful partnership with producer Nikša Bratoš. Concurrently, she worked with Zrinko Tutić's music publishing company, Tutico, lending her voice to artists such as Severina, Maja Blagdan, and Željko Bebek.
Notably, Daria's first public performance occurred in 1996 at Dom Sportova, where she sang as a backing vocalist for Crvena jabuka in front of an audience of 15,000. Her relationship with Crvena jabuka has continued to flourish, alongside her participation in various music festivals in Croatia, including Zagrebfest, Splitski Festival, and Dora. She has consistently performed at the Porin Awards, the Croatian music industry awards, since their inception.
In 2000, Daria began a successful collaboration with Dino Merlin, becoming a permanent member of his band and touring across Europe, America, and Australia. She has contributed backing vocals to all of Merlin's albums and maintains a strong working relationship with him.
Daria's collaboration with Gibonni began in 2001 when she provided backing vocals for his acclaimed album Mirakul. She continued to tour with him, performing in major cities, and worked alongside notable musicians such as Tony Levin and Manu Katché. Their partnership has thrived, with Daria contributing to Gibonni's subsequent albums, including Unca fibre, Acoustic-Electric, and Toleranca.
Her work with Severina is also significant, as she has been a backing vocalist on nearly all of Severina's albums and participated in numerous tours from 1996 to 2013. Additionally, Daria has collaborated with many other prominent figures in the Croatian music scene, such as Oliver, Nina Badrić, Novi Fosili, and others. She has also provided backing vocals for various stars in the Balkan region, including Zdravko Čolić, Toše Proeski, and Željko Joksimović, with recent performances primarily alongside Zdravko Čolić at his major concerts.
Daria has also made her mark on the Croatian jazz scene, performing lead vocals on Luka Udjbinac’s albums with the international band Voices of Nature and collaborating with the Jazz Orchestra of the Croatian National Television (HRT). She is a member of the vocal quartet Absolute A, which performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2002, 2003, and 2004. The quartet has also been featured in various popular Croatian television programs, earning acclaim for their vocal performances.
In addition to her performance career, Daria holds a position as a music editor in the Classical Music Department of Croatian Radio (HRT). In 2013, she realized a long-held aspiration by collaborating with her husband, respected Croatian drummer Dado Marinković (of Parni Valjak), to release her first independent single, "Iza tvojih riječi" (Behind Your Words), through Aquarius Records. The music was composed by her long-time friend Dragan Brnas (Fudo), with lyrics by another close friend, Maya Sar.
